Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

16 years of life gone to waste.

But even with the progresses and skills she developed, it was already a waste in the first place, at least to her.

A coddled girl, that's who she was. Adored by her family so much that she didn't get to experience the world on her own. Freedom, after all, was dangerous, but freedom was a required recipe in happiness, so limited freedom was given to her.

It was lonely. Sure, she still made friends, but her family was paranoid. "Dangerous" they called them, "don't trust them", they said, "they'll hurt you."

And some kinds of friends are too dangerous to befriend.

She didn't want to upset them, and she understood their reasons to worry. She was a second chance, her life built up on past experiences.

But she betrayed their trust, and thus, her freedom was taken away.

Then disaster struck.

It was an accident, well, at least it seemed like it.

But all that mattered was:

The efforts she did make in her life were a waste.





but

if god were real to hear

She wanted to live.

She remembered a character from her favorite game.

Kiana Kaslana. brave, strong, and overall a good person. A heroine who fought her hardest to protect the ones she loved, only to end her life in order to protect the ones she held dearest to herself.

She could’ve been someone like her.

If things went her way, she'd do so much more with her life. She'd fall in love. She'd create something amazing. She'd improve someone's life. Her life would end in satisfaction.

Unfortunately, this world didn't have such a fate for her.

Chapter Text

She woke up.

This wasn't a hospital.

The girl looked around her surroundings. Something felt weird about her vision.

Wait...something feels weird? What are you saying, voice in my head?

Without her call to action, she stretched and scooted out of her bed, humming about Mei’s breakfast.

Then she screamed.

She felt taller. She pulled her hair over. It was braided. And white. She felt for her chest. She actually had something on her chest.

What the...hey, what the hell? Stop it, me!

She stumbled back to her bed.

Oh god. What was going on?

Hey! Who are you?! Who’s talking in my head?!

A mirror! That’s what she needed.

She stumbled around for a mirror.

Huh?

God, I look so adorable, but like, seriously, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!

Those blue eyes...

Yes, my cute little blue eyes. Staple of the Kasla—

She was in Kiana Kaslana’s body.

What.

“Kiana?” a familiar voice called, “are you okay?”

The body turned its head immediately, squealing with joy.

“Mei!” she squealed, then the original conscious remembered. “Mei, I need help, I—“

She threw herself into a coughing fit.

Please, please don’t say anything about this. She didn’t want Schicksal to get involved.

What? Okay, is this some kinda weird Anti-Entropy thing? Maybe I should get Aunt Ter—

No. This isn’t Anti-Entropy. Please. Just say nothing to Mei, and she’ll explain what’s going on.

...

“Fu Hua’s making me do 3000 pages of assignments again!” the body cried, the look on Mei’s face shifting from concern to sternness.

“Kiana...the class president has been working very hard to make sure that your grades will improve. The best you can do is try to put more eff—“

“But isn’t 3000 just overkill?! If anything, she should just let me—“

“There is a reason why Subject Kiana is a Tuna.” a monotonous voice chimed in, the beholder of the voice carrying a creepy yellow plushie.

The body pouted. “You can’t say anything! You’re a super-genius!”

“It’s early in the morning. Please keep it down, da. The Bronya doesn’t need a Tuna flailing about and creating a ruckus to wake her up.”  The girl with prosthetics walked over to the table across, sitting herself down on a chair as she waited.

That reminded the black-haired beauty. “Ah! Sorry Kiana, I’ll take care of breakfast. I’m glad that you woke up early,” she said, “for once.”

Mei closed the door.

So.

What’s going on?

Chapter Text

Today should’ve started as a normal weekend for Kiana Kaslana.

But before her sat an unfamiliar girl with striped horns.

Where was this?

Where were they?

Of course, everything was the same in the real world. Kiana was able to brush her teeth, wash her face, and change normally, aside from sometimes staring back at herself in the mirror without doing so herself or biting her nails when she didn’t intend to.

It was apparent, however, that this other world also existed to some extent.

An empty, boring white space except a couch sitting across another couch, the girl seated in it.

In this space, the girl thought, it was easier to think separately from Kiana.

Untypical of the normal Kaslana morning, silence passed as Kiana went through her routine. Normally, she’d rambunctious and loud, singing loudly as she fantasized about Mei’s cooking. This wasn’t what happened. Kiana was awfully quiet, as if something terrible had happened.

“Uh, hey?” Kiana greeted the girl.

The girl looked up at Kiana, a gloomy expression in her eyes. She held her hands together as if she were praying, wishing, for what? The fingers fiddled in their mutual grip, until one finally decided to stop wishing. She raised that hand as if it were a viable substitute for a spoken greeting, though she didn’t exactly look Kiana’s way either.

“Are you the perv in my head?”

She glared at Kiana, then pointed at her.

“Are you?”

The girl shook her head.

“Then who are you?”

She pointed to herself as if to say “I’m me.”

“Can you talk instead of saying nothing? I know you can talk, you were just doing it kinda, sorta, or whatever.”

“...yeah.” her hushed voice muttered.

“Ah, I see. Kuudere?”

“...no, but...at least I’m not an idiot.”

Kiana glared at her. “First of all, I’m plenty not-an-idiot, thank you very much. Second of all, you still haven’t explained anything to me.” Kiana grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her. “What the hell’s going on, and how are you in my head?!”

“...I’m...not exactly sure...” the girl began to bite her nails. “I just...remember that...I died. Then...I woke up as Kiana Kaslana...”

“Can you talk slash think faster?”

“...sorry.” Her teeth sank into her pink nails, “...it’s a force...of hab—“

“Wait, how do you know who I am?!”

“...erm, I—“

“Also, what the hell are you? Some sort of demon loli?”

“...I’m...what? I’m just...short. I look...grown up...enough. I think.” Her teeth pressed against her thumb. That was definitely going to leave a mark, or at least a temporary indent in her skin. She looked up at the European girl, a confused look in her eyes. “Where did...you get the demon...thing...from?”

“I mean—“

_

“...Kiana? Are you okay? Did you fall asleep again?” a gentle voice called.

“The answer to that question is obvious, da.” a monotonous voice said in response. “A Tuna like her—“

Kiana slammed open the door.

“Don’t worry, Mei!” Kiana pointed to the ceiling, her stomach rumbling. “I, Kiana Kaslana, not a Tuna, will always be great as long as the beautiful Mei is by her side!” She tossed her braid behind her back, grinning as Mei hid her face. “Also is breakfast ready?”

“...Well, you’re usually loud in the morning, s—” Mei looked to the side, fiddling her fingers together. “...no. Breakfast isn’t ready yet.”

“Loud?”

“Erm...”

“Subject Tuna usually sings and rants loudly to herself in the mornings.” the petite cyborg-girl monotoned. “Frankly, The Bronya was actually quite relieved from the silence, da.”

Kiana glared at the petite girl, then turned to Mei, her expression softening, a toothy grin as she planted her face under the busty girl’s neck. “It doesn’t matter as long as Mei loves my singing, right Mei?”

Heat rose in Mei’s cheeks. Her eyes glanced the other way. “Erm, I need to cook breakfast.” She gently pushed the exuberant girl away.

“Wait, Mei! You can answer my question while cooking breakfast!”

“Ah! It seems that I’m going to need to focus a bit more on cooking today. Sorry Kiana!”

“Wha—Mei?!” Kiana attempted to chase after Mei, only for a certain mecha to stand in her way, well, maybe float was a better word. 

“Kiana, The Bronya wishes to have breakfast. Please sit down and wait so that neither of us die of starvation.”

The Bronya’s argument was a sound one. Kiana saluted as she nodded, sitting herself down at the dinner table.

____________

“...should we continue our conversation?” a quiet, gentle voice asked.

Kiana looked around. It was the boring white space again. The girl was there, still in that same couch.

“So...who or what are you?” Kiana asked, a glare of caution in her ocean blue eyes.

“...I-I’m...Diana.” the girl stuttered.

“Diana, huh?”

A silence.

Kiana stared dead fish eyes into the girl’s gloomy black eyes.

The gloomy girl began to shift around her seat uncomfortably, lifting up her knees to her chest, hiding her face.

“Erm, I... don’t know how I got here? I’m...not from here. Like I...said before, I died. Then...I woke up as...you.” the girl explained.

Kiana’s dead fish gaze continued.

“Um... where I’m from, everyone...th-that you know... is from a video game...” she gulped, “called Honkai...Third Impact... so I know who you are...along with Bronya, Mei...Fu Hua...erm, where’s Himeko?”

“She’s out on a mission.” Kiana said, fish-gaze still active.

Diana nodded, gulping.

A silence passed between the two.

She took it as a cue to continue, though she really didn’t know how.

“...Y-You see, I...I was...invested in the story...and the lore...of your world...so I kind of know a lot more...than I should...” she panicked, “...so...I guess I’m...happy to be here...b-but...not at the same time...”

Kiana yawned as she nodded, though the stammering girl continued to panic for words to say.

“Y-You see, I...I know w-what’s going to happen, a-and I...liked the graphics...and gameplay...and...I was kinda forced to be...a shut-in...” she clenched her foot. “I...still went to school and all...but still...” she gulped. “It wasn’t really by choice...and I died.”

“Wait, you died?”

Diana held her legs closer together, nail biting coming to a halt. “...What day is it?”

“It’s September 15th, 2014. Why?”

“...2014?”

“Yeah? Why?”

“No reason...Ignore me.”

“I’d love to.”

A silence passed between the two.

Diana scooted further into the couch.

“Diana?”

“...Yeah?”

“You said you knew a lot about this world, right?” Kiana came closer, “that where you’re from, it’s a videogame.”

“I...find it hard to b-believe that...you’d believe me...so easily...but yes.”

“Do you know where my old-geezer-dad is?” the Kaslana girl asked, aquamarine eyes shining with hope.

The shorter girl stared blankly at the taller girl. If she had her own body, she’d be sweating bullets. She couldn’t tell her. If she knew the truth, then it would ruin the timeline even more than her presence already did. It would stop the protagonist from learning on her own. However, she knew that telling the girl would gain her trust. Telling the girl the truth would lighten her day. She would find out eventually anyway, even if it was a little more than a year until then. The girl bit her lip, unsure of how to respond.

“Do you?” she pressed again, those aquamarine eyes of hers beginning to turn to sadness.

No matter how much time seemed to pass in the space, Kiana waited patiently, for the answer that irked her every night.

“Um...you see...”

She stared closely at her lips, awaiting the answer, her eyes there to read the answer in case her ears suddenly went dead.

“I...do know...” Diana bit at her thumb. “but...”

“But?”

“I don’t want to...ruin your ending...”

“Well, how’s me knowing—“

“You get to marry Mei.”

“Alright, but—“

“Please. I...know you really...want to know where your dad is. But...you’ll find out...eventually...just not...now.” The girl scratched at her black hair, feeling a foreign object at her scalp. “I...you should uphold your promise...with Theresa.” she muttered.

Kiana looked at her with disappointment. “I don’t see how knowing my Old Man’s whereabouts is a bad thing.”

“It...isn’t, but I’d like...to minimize my presence...as much as I can. Just in case.”

The blue eyes of Kiana looked down.

In this space, their minds were separate. Diana couldn’t tell what she was truly thinking, but looking at the construct of her, she knew what those eyes meant. The Kaslana girl bit her lip, clenching her fist.

“You’ll...find out...I-I promise.” The girl held up the thumb she wasn’t biting on. “Like I said...you...still have your promise to Theresa...that you should withhold. You’ll learn the truth...eventually.”

“Eventually?"

"...Yes. E...ventually."

"And when is eventually?"

“Eventually...not now...”

“I know that, but when?”

“Erm...a lot later...”

Kiana shot a look at the girl, one full of some sort of gloom.

“Why should I trust you if you’re not going to tell me anything?”

“That’s...kind of mean.”

“My point still stands, Midget.”

__________________

“Kiana? Kiana. Kianaaaa.”

The Kaslana girl remained quiet as never, staring off into space.

Then the girl inside realized who she was.

“...yes?” Kiana’s voiced muttered.

“Are you okay? You seem really quiet today.” Mei asked, concern in her voice once again.

She looked up at the beautiful woman in front of her and awaited a response

from Kiana.

But Kiana’s response never came.

“Um...yes. I’m fine, Mei.” Kiana

no

Diana responded, a hushed voice.

“Kiana, are you sure? You’ve been acting strange all morning. You haven’t even started eating your food...”

“The Bronya and Sister Mei are especially worried for Subject Kiana. If anything is wrong, please do not hesitate to inform them, and they will do their best to assist Subject Kiana, da.”

God, what the hell? Why wasn’t Kiana talking?

“Y-Yes! I’m fine, Mei!” She lifted herself from the seat, a slight hop as she went in to hug the aforementioned girl. “I’m just...thinking...”

“Nyet. Subject Tuna does not have the brain capacity to think. Please come up with a better lie.” the petite girl responded sarcastically.

“Of...course. I...hit my head this morning.” Diana felt Kiana’s forehead, feigning the pain that wasn’t really there. “It’s...a little bit hard to think right now. I...have a bit...of a headache.”

“Oh. Is that why you were so loud this morning?”

She nodded. “Aside...from remembering Fu Hua’s assignments, yes.”

“Do you think you need any medicine? The nurse? Usually, headaches don’t affect you this much...”

“I’ll...be fine. I’ll start eating.” With Kiana’s left hand, she picked up the chopsticks on the table. “M-Mei’s cooking will make everything better!” she added, an attempt at enthusiasm in her voice.

She glared at the grilled fish.

Mei and Bronya stared at Kiana.

The reasonable blend of ash and mackerel filled the air, alongside the salty fragrance of the miso soup.

Mei and Bronya continued to stare at Kiana.

With the chopsticks, Diana picked up the mackerel.

The staredown continued.

“Um, this...feels uncomfortable.” she muttered, breaking the silence.

"S-Sorry,” Mei gave a small bow, “we’re just worried, you know?”

She nodded, taking a bite of the mackerel.

Holy shit.

A spoon of miso soup.

Holy fuck.

Diana felt herself squealing at the taste of the food.

So the rumors were true.

She took another bite of the grilled mackerel.

“Is the fish good?” Mei asked, a gentle smile on her lips.

“Y-Yes! It tastes delicious! Thank you, Mei...for the food!...”

The sweet taste of the ash and fish blended perfectly together with the light dash of salt, just as the fragrance had suggested. Each bite of the fish was juicy, as if eating a ripe strawberry, except fishier in taste and dryer in texture.

This was restaurant-quality cooking, restaurant-quality cooking without the annoying little pricks of fish bones.

Before she knew it, the mackerel was completely gone.

Who knew that grilled mackerel could taste so amazing?

“Cannibalism.” Bronya muttered under her breath.

How the hell was miso soup so delicious?

The tofu melted perfectly in the salty smoothness of the soup. The onion added that slight bit of sweetness to dilute the salty taste by just a tiny bit.

Eventually, everything on Kiana’s side of the table disappeared. Including the rice.

How the hell could miso soup with baked fish be so good??

“Th-Thank you for the food, Mei.” Diana repeated, a slight stutter in her voice.

“Subject Tuna should hit her head more often.”

“B-Bronya, that’s a little mean...” Mei scolded, well, tried to scold.

“But it’s true.”

A shaky giggle came from Diana as she proceeded to take a sip of tea.

Bronya made a glance at Kiana. “Maybe Kiana should see the nurse...” she muttered.

“...Why?” Diana questioned, Kiana’s head slightly tilting to the side.

“Subject Tuna usually forgets table manners.”

The tea nearly spilled on her, before she caught herself.

She wasn’t acting anything like Kiana at all.

In fact, why wasn’t she screaming and shouting angry German-Japanese?

Her head felt quiet. There wasn’t any high-pitched screeching from a loudmouthed German girl.

Something was missing and—

“Huh? Where’d all my food go?”

Oh fuck.

“Subject Tuna has forgotten that she just ate her food. Indeed, maybe the Nurse is necessary.”

“What?! I—“

Kiana muffled herself as she picked herself up from the chair.

“I-I’ll be in K...my...room.” Diana announced quietly, struggling to walk back.

“Are you sure?” Mei asked, a worried look in her eyes, “I understand if you’re not feeling well, but—“

“P-Posi—Nega—Positive.” Diana replied. “I’ll...be asleep.”

“I’ll let Fu Hua know that you’re not feeling well.”

“D-Do that.” Diana held her thumbs up. “She won’t believe me either way.” Kiana chimed after.

“Maybe taking some aspirin will make you feel better. I’m not really sure why—“

“Feel better about what?” 

“Your headache?”

“What headache?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“You were just complaining about your headache a moment ago.” Mei noted.

“M-Mei’s food made me feel better!” Diana sputtered.

“...Kiana, were you just trying to get out of tutoring?” Bronya interrogated, a glare in her eyes.

The idea processed in her head, before Kiana finally responded, “...You know, Bratnya, that would’ve been a really good idea...”

The two girls shot a disappointed look at the prodigy-apparent.

“Hey, I was mostly kidding.” Kiana half-honestly assured.

____________

“Wait, seriously, what’s this about a headache?”

Diana let out a nervous laugh, before looking the other way.

“Also! Where DID my food go?”

She began to sink further into her seat.

“...Diana...”

“...yes? Kiana?”

“Where did my food go?!”

Diana didn’t answer. Instead, she kept her eyes focused on the void.

“Diana...”

“...yes?”

“Did you eat my delicious food from Mei?!”

“...N-No...”

“You ate my food, didn’t you?”

“T-Technically, you ate y-your food...”

“You ate my food!”

“But it’s...in your stomach...not mine...”

“I can’t believe some demon loli suddenly appeared in my head and stole my identity AND my food!”

“St...stop calling me a demon loli.”

“But you don’t deny you ate my food.”

“...I mean...it w-would’ve been s-suspicious... if you didn’t.”

Kiana squinted at her, disbelief emitting from her expression.

“...I also...wanted to know...how good it tasted...”

That, the glutton could believe.

“Were you satisfied, you little brat?”

“...maybe.”

Kiana nodded, a cheery smile on her face.

Diana followed through with the nods.

“I’m telling Aunt Teri you exist.”

“N-No! I’m sorry! P-Please! I don’t want to be experimented on by Schicksal!” she cried, her speech faster than usual.

“Why would Schicksal experiment on you?”

“Why...w-why wouldn’t Schicksal experiment on...on me?”

“Maybe those sick Anti-Entropy bastards, but why Schicksal?”

Diana bit at her thumb. “I-I mean, really, why...wouldn’t they...I don’t know.”

“So where’s my dad?”

“No.”

“That’s not an answer to a “where” question.”

“N-Now it is.”

“Hey, you gotta owe me on eating my food SOMEHOW!” Kiana pouted.

“...and not through spoilers.”

“Where’s my dad?!”

“...I can’t tell you.”

“Where’s my dad?!”

“...sorry.”

“Where’s my dad?! Where’s my dad? Where’s my dad?!” she nagged.

“...please stop asking.”

Kiana stuck out her tongue. “I’ll bug you about it every day.”

“...can’t I...do something else...to compensate for eating your food?...”

“...Like what?”

“...Erm, you...didn’t get out of...tutoring today, right?”

Kiana went quiet, her head turning away as gloom filled the space.

“...Don’t remind me.” the failing student sulked.

“I...could participate...for you.”

“Why would you...wait a minute.” Kiana thought about it for a moment, face brightening up as her brain processed the idea.

This, of course, was a great opportunity for the unstudious Kaslana girl.

Chapter Text

...What time was it?

The blue pupils roamed around the room, settling upon red digits.

16:00, 4:00 PM.

Was it not just 9AM?

And where was she?

Packets of worksheets and textbooks were neatly placed around the table. Project Bunny was stationed at the door.

But why?

She stood up.

Project Bunny turned its head.

She sat back down.

Project Bunny kept its gaze.

Ah.

Project Bunny was stationed at the door as a means to prevent a certain silver-haired-idiot from absconding from her tutoring lessons, she concluded.

Gulping, Diana went back to staring off into space.

Diana fidgeted her thumb at the corner of a page, awaiting the arrival of her tutor: a certain maiden of a princely demeanor. There was nothing else she could really do at the moment and her mind felt at peace in the moment. The angry shouting of a certain silver-haired warrior didn’t plague her thoughts, although....

The door creaked open.

Her attention jerked to the door.

Kiana’s eyes widened.

A red-haired man entered the room, paper in hand.

He wasn’t supposed to be here. Why was he here?

“Fu Hua’s not available right now. The Overseer sent her off into a mission. She should be back by tonight, but she won’t be here for today’s tutoring session.” the redhead stated, sitting himself down. “Thus, I’ve been forced to come as your tutor yet again.”

Him? Tutoring?

Diana bit her lip, “I-I realized... that. Though, that kind...kind of begs the question, y-you see. Why are you here?”

“...What do you mean why am I here?” the Captain-look-alike inquired, “I always come to replace Fu Hua when she’s not available. In fact, I was forced to be your tutor before her.” “Captain” responded, squinting his eyes. “Why are you looking at me funny?”

Slightly spiky red hair.

The energetic voice of the average, heroic male protagonist.

A pre-established familiarity with at least some of the other characters already presented.

There was no mistaking it, right?

Was this not the Captain of the Hyperion?

“Kiana?”

She stared at the redhead with confusion, before clearing her throat. “Yeah, uh...who are you?”

“...Are you serious?”

“...What?”

“Kiana, I didn’t quit being your tutor that long ago!”

“...Um...excuse me?...”

“Amasekai! VALDARR AMASEKAI! I can’t believe you forgot my name!” “Captain” bawled.

Taken slightly aback, she nodded, biting against her finger. “...Val...darr?”

“Yeah, isn’t it easy to remember?”

“...N...not really.”

“...Dammit, Kiana.” Valdarr muttered, picking up a worksheet. “What is this? Algebra?”

Diana nodded, sliding a worksheet over to herself. “Yeah...Cap...Valdarr.”

“You still can’t do basic algebra?”

She glared at the Captain-look-alike, before scribbling numbers about the page.

Her goal at the moment was to find x, not get upset at a self-insert.

Awkwardly, Valdarr picked up the commemorating worksheet, rustling his red hair. “I...guess you don’t need my help on subtracting numbers on both sides. So, how have you been, Kiana?”

She paused, nearly forgetting her identity. “I’ve...I’ve been...good.” she muttered.

“Oh. That’s great.”

She nodded, attention settling back into the worksheets.

It was just basic algebra.

By the time ten minutes had passed, Diana had finished two worksheets with ease.

It was still basic algebra.

She glanced at the fourth worksheet.

It was also basic algebra.

Fifth, more application involving slightly more difficult algebra.

Sixth, more application of the previously used algebra.

Taking from a random part of the stack, though much further down the pile, she read the questions to herself.

Did Kiana seriously have difficulty with these questions?

“...What are you doing?” Valdarr asked, breaking the silence.

The silver-haired girl looked up at him.

“You look kinda troubl—“

“I’m good.” she interrupted.

“...You’ve been flipping through worksheets without doing them...”

Diana sighed with frustration, looking down at the familiar functions and formulas.

How much of this world did she still not know?

And how the hell was this Captain here?

Kiana’s eyes shifted to the redhead, away once his eyes looked over towards her.

“...Need help already?” he asked, oblivious to her current thoughts.

“...N-No. I got this.”

“Remember, we’re here for your grades not m—“

“Oh my god, shut up.”

“Hey, all I did was offer help.”

“I said I was good.” she puffed, pouting like a toddler.

Tutoring went smoothly that day, with a side of some stuttered bickering.

It was 8:47 PM when she fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Diana stared at the red glare of the clock.

“4:00 AM” it read.

Tutoring finished at 8:30 PM, the captain, no, Valdarr left at that time. She remembered Mei asking her if she needed any more help once he left, tinges of awkwardness from her part as she proceeded to speak to the girl afront her.

She remembered falling asleep at 8:47.

But she didn’t really remember what happened 

She was in bed, in pajamas, and Kiana’s body was aching from the numbness of sleep.

And Himeko cuddling against her body.

Ah fuck, no wonder she couldn’t sleep.

The smell of alcohol slowly fluttered to her nostrils, Diana quenched at the smell.

Himeko groaned, her voice hushed and charming. “...Oh, honeyplum...you’re just so beautiful...”

Nope. Nope. Nope.

Diana, to escape Himeko’s drunken grip, made attempts to gently push her off, only to realize it to be more efficient to push her off altogether.

A soft thud sounded as Himeko rolled to her other side, Diana huddled in the protection of the blankets.

Nope. Nope. She did not want to deal with this tonight. Nope. She was already stressed enough having to adjust to the sudden changes.

Curse Kiana for going to sleep in the right bed that night, even though neither of them could figure out how the whole body-switching thing worked in one day.

Somehow, despite now being on the cold, hard, floor, Himeko still remained asleep, muttering about her “Honeyplum” hurting her or something. Diana really didn’t want to hear the rest of it.

She stared at Himeko’s face, shining from tearstains.

Wasn’t she just on a mission today?

Diana sat down at the end of Kiana’s bed, still huddled in the bedsheets.

“...I don’t want to hurt you...

Dad...

Ragna, don’t you remember me?

...It hurts...it hurts...no...

I promised you.”

The drunken cries of the red haired woman continued to descend into a depressing cycle. 

Diana clenched the bed sheets tightly. She didn’t notice the slight scent of blood intermixed with the scent of alcohol until then.

Himeko needed to sleep well tonight.

She placed the blankets over her body, ensuring the pillow was under her head.

Maybe she should go outside.

Diana exited Kiana’s room, navigating herself towards the exit of the dorm, walking past Bronya, whose eyes were glued to the TV.

“...Kiana? Why are you awake?” The Bronya inquired, fingers still pressing at the game controller.

Startled by the Russian girl’s attention, Diana sputtered, fingers fidgeting, “I...needed f-fresh air.”

Bronya nodded. “As long as Alloy_Bronya can finish her daily grinds, Subject Kiana need not worry.”

She exited the dorm.

Kiana had wonderful friends.

her nail wasn’t long nor sharp enough to truly piece her skin, but that was a good thing.

It panged the heart of the petite girl inside.

Through the dark halls of St. Freya’s dorms she went, crossing the dark wood flooring and the soft grey walls with paintings of the Overseer and the Kaslana family tree.

Up some many stairs, she went, the interior design shifting to a more Greco-Roman style, pillars and columns keeping up the impressive school.

She didn’t know where she was going, but she knew she was going up several staircases through several different doors, the clinking and clanking of doors opening and closing.

Then, at one last clink, she met the sight of a glorious night sky.

It was the kind that was difficult to find in the real world. The stars were gems shining on a deep blue canvas, the moon visible underneath the grey clouds that provided a fantastic painted feeling to the night-sky.

She looked back at the sign on the door.

Rooftop Entrance #3, 12006.

The door clanked shut behind the silver-haired girl, her eyes moved forward once again.

Someone was here before her.

Blue eyes dilated at the sight before her.

Beneath the starlight, the moonlight, and arriving twilight, a figure stood, leaning forward on the fencing. Under the dim light of the night, her long, grey hair appeared close to a soft, lowly saturated lavender. Her hair ornament which wrapped her hair together clinked in the gentle wind, light skin gently kissed by the blue moonlight. 

The build and stature of a beautiful prince from a fairytale.

Her identity was unmistakable.

She tilted her head towards Diana, the reflection of light passing through her red glasses, her piercing blue eyes contrasting greatly against the rims.

“Kiana? What are you doing here so early in the morning?”

The class monitor’s sharp, calm voice sliced through Diana’s trance. her dilated pupils returned to their normal size, reminded of the sight being another part of reality.

“Um...I...couldn’t...sleep.”

Pushing a strand of her hair away from her face, the class monitor nodded. “It’s 4:13 on a weekend. You should sleep, especially with curfew to worry about.”

Diana bit her lip. “Well, why are you, um, here... then?”

“Stargazing.” she answered, her hands relaxing against the railing.

“...Oh.” Diana held her fingers together. “Star...gazing, huh?”

A silence passed between the two, the sound of crickets and owls filling the air in its place.

“You know you can come over, right?” the Valkyrie noted, a frank voice.

“...Erm, I’m...fine.”

“The stars look better when you’re closer to the railing.”

“...The stars...look...the same either way.”

The Valkyrie’s expression became more aloof as she sighed, looking back towards the stars.

“...Shenzhou’s tradition...” Diana began, “Shenzhou...has a tradition...of stargazing, right?”

The Valkyrie’s head perked up slightly, though not enough to be immediately noticeable.

“I’m surprised you even remember that.” she muttered. “Yes, stargazing is a part of Shenzhou tradition.”

“...Why stargazing?”

“...Why?”

“Yeah, why stargazing?”

“Well, looking back on history as a whole, there is a recurring theme of the stars being associated with the heavens and fate. It’s the reason why the planets have been named after Roman gods. Even in Shenzhou, that was the case.”

She paused, looking over at “Kiana” to ensure she was paying attention.

To her surprise, her question was answered by a nodding.

“Though I’d hope you’re bright enough to already know this, back then, there wasn’t much to do aside from work, learn, survive, and fight back against the Honkai. That wasn’t because nobody wished to enjoy their lives, but because nobody really had anything to do with their lives.” she continued. “There wasn’t any anime, games, or manga, and there definitely wasn’t much to do but fear when the world shifted to the dark of night.”

“...So...you’d resolve...to looking at the stars?” she asked.

“...Yes.” she cleared her throat. “The stars were some of the few things out there in the night to give the people of Shenzhou comfort. As time went on, people would create stories and meanings for the constellations, and the stories and meanings that were loved would stay. These stories and meanings would be used to tell lovers and warriors their futures, whether fate promised them happiness or desolation.” The princely girl suddenly paused. “Am I...talking too much?”

Diana shook her head. “...No, I...think it’s interesting...to hear you...um...talk so much.”

“...Then are you fine with me continuing?”

“...Yeah.”

“You’re not really contributing to the conversation.”

“...I-I’m stupid. Do you...actually expect me to contribute to this conversation? Of the stuff that I sleep on? During...history class? Please, enlighten me...with your history nerdicism.” Diana proclaimed, tapping at her head.

She turned her head at her silhouette, face aglow from the shine of her glasses. “Nerdicism isn’t a word.”

“I...made it...a word. You’re smart, you can p-probably tell what it means.”

“I understand what it means, I just can’t tell if you’re trying to insult me or not.”

“We’ll...say it’s both.”

“Then you should convert some of your jockicism into nerdicism.”

“That...didn’t make sense.”

“I’m smarter than you.”

The aloof girl’s eyes focused, not on the stars, but on the silver haired girl near the door. Though the darkness made it difficult to truly distinguish the figure of her face shrouded in darkness, the dim lamps offered just enough light for her to recognize her face. It was Kiana, alright.

Despite that, she walked closer, curious of her odd behavior.

She didn’t realize anything odd of it at first, at least until it was too late. Diana squealed, for the princely maiden was now close enough for her to grab her by the neck.

“Um, ex...excuse me?” Diana blurted, surprised by her approach, “w-why are you getting so close?”

She looked at her, confused. “It’s easier to talk if we’re closer,” she pointed out, “plus, considering you keep jittering when you talk, you must be cold.”

“...So, you...came to offer a jacket or...something.”

“No, I’m making you go inside with me.”

“That’s worse.”

“You won’t get any warmth from a single dress-shirt, and I’d rather not go half-nude on school property.”

“The...dorms are also...school property.”

“You know what I mean.” she spat, pushing her back into the school.

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“What’s wrong...with being half-nude...right now? Nobody else...is going to see you.”

“The problem is that it’s you of all people who would see me half-nude. You’d probably start screaming and yelling about how Mei’s body is hotter and more pronounced where these things are.” she explained, patting at her chest.

“...Y-You’d probably be...right.” Diana agreed, attempting to prevent the rising of temperature upon Kiana’s face. “That...I can’t...argue with that.”

“I didn’t expect you to.”

In this lighting, her misty grey hair was similar to that of a faint wisteria, blue eyes following suit. Faint pink highlighted her pale skin. Her eyes, serious and focused, held an air of feminine grace hidden by her tomboyish composure.

“You know...” Diana began, pressing her thumb between her fingers.

“Yes, I know more than you.”

“Your eyes are really pretty, Fu Hua.”

The solace of the night had seeped into the halls of Saint Freya. Though the sound of crickets didn’t follow into the soundless halls, the echo of their footwear certainly came to a sudden stop.

Fu Hua glanced over at the silver-haired girl.

“Pardon?”

“Your...eyes are really pretty?” Diana repeated herself.

She paused to think, before nodding as if she understood.

“It’s surprising to hear that from you.” the aloof woman retorted, her hand covering her lips.

That night reaped the seed of her, as of then unfounded desire—

Her desire for personal happiness.

That night brought the beginning of the formation of a seed that would sprout much later, to eventually create a thicket of despair and confusion—

Someone she didn’t want to be Kiana for.